Alternatives › Contacts Journal
vs
Ciao! vs Contacts Journal
Contacts Journal CRM, by zaal LLC
A long-running CRM for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch that keeps logs, to-dos and files for each contact, synced through your own iCloud.
3,821 ratings in the App Store, October 2026. iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. In the App Store since 2009.
|
Ciao!
|
Contacts Journal
|
|
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | One payment $9.99 |
$24.99 once for unlimited personal use, $69.99 once with the Mac app. Teams plans by subscription |
| Free tier | 3 friends | 20 logs, to-dos, files or custom fields |
| Account needed | None | None |
| Where it runs | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch |
| Where your notes live | Your phone and your own iCloud | Your devices and your own iCloud |
| A creature for each friend | 15 animals, 6 moods | No |
| A weekly swipe deck | Yes | No |
Every row comes from Contacts Journal’s own App Store listing or website, read on 2 October 2026. Nothing here is taken from another app’s reviews.
Sources: Contacts Journal on the App Store · Contacts Journal on AlternativeTo · Contacts Journal’s website
Where Contacts Journal wins
- •It runs on a Mac, an iPad and an Apple Watch too, all synced through your own iCloud.
- •Far more depth: files, custom fields, company accounts, a map of your contacts and email templates.
- •A Teams plan lets you share contacts with colleagues.
Where Ciao! wins
- •Ciao! is made for friends. Contacts Journal is aimed at sales people, freelancers and agents, and tracks follow-ups as to-dos.
- •$9.99 once, against $24.99 for its personal plan.
- •A deck on Sunday with the friends who are due, and an animal for each one that shows at a glance how long it has been.
Which one should you actually get?
Both keep your data in your own iCloud with no account, and both are paid once. Contacts Journal is the better tool if you track clients, or you want it on a Mac. If you only want to keep up with friends, Ciao! is the lighter one: a rhythm, a weekly deck and a note for each person.
